Automaker executives live and die on monthly trends and April showers dampened more than a few spirits as light truck sales finally began to reflect the higher cost of fuel. Even Toyota, which increased its numbers during the month, admits to "softness in sales of large SUVs." Toyota surpassed Chrysler Group in total sales by a considerable margin, prompting Jim Press, Toyota Motor Sales president to suggest "the market for lower-priced, higher-mileage vehicles is showing strength, as are hybrids." Paul Ballew, GM's general director of market analysis, admitted that sales of sport-utility vehicles felt the pressure of rising gasoline prices. Over at Ford, truck sales (including SUVs) dropped 15-percent. Meanwhile Honda saw sales rise by 4.7-percent, Suzuki posted a 32-percent increase, and Mitsubishi celebrated with a 17.5-percent gain. Source: theCarConnection.